Murderer in the Living Room
by FullMetalCanine
Summary: Murderer in the living room. . No, don't touch that knife, wai- oh, come on, Ani. Oh well, at least it wasn't Nellie...OC's accepted! Just PM me.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Minecraft**

**Okay, I was inspired to do Minecraft by my friend from school, NellisEllis. Check her out!**

It was raining.

I mention this not because it was particuarly strange weather, for in fact it rained quite frequently, but because it is very inportent to the plot.

Though it was stormy, and the once-blue skies were devoid of light, in wasn't in any way night, and was (at least, before it started raining,) the middle of a blue and sunny day.

A lone sheep bleated for its mother, a small cry out to a herd that had long since moved on.

It instead was faced with a very confused and hurt Enderman, making small noises of pain as it was hit by the rain. The Enderman picked up the sheep and teleported away.

This may or may not be important to the story.

Seven miles away, a girl was running.

Now, this is not so extrordinary, for people run all the time. Running is normal.

The remarkable thing was what she was running from.

What she was running TO is very important as well, but, as an author, I will stick with one thing at a time, because otherwise I'm going to end up confusing you.

Now, where were we? Oh, yes, running.

She was running from an angry mob.

No, not that kind of mob. A mob of players. Torches, pitchforks, the whole nine.

Now why, well, that was easy. The reason they were chasing her is the chicken she was carrying, a chicken she stole.

Oh, and she was harboring a known fugitive, but the poultry was more important, and besides, they didn't know that.

The girl, whose name I will reveal to be Marlina, ran into some trees, and soon lost the crowd. She ducked into a cave and sat down in a chair, breathing heavily.

"Line!" A blond haired girl waved at her from a corner.

"Is that...blood?" Marlina said, eying the red liquid the other girl was covered in.

"It isn't Nellie, if that's what you're thinking." She answered.

"Ani, that I have to wonder if you're covered in guts is just..wrong!" Marlina answered.

The criminal shrugged. "So's murder, and you let me stay here."

"That's different!"

"How?"

"It's- UGH! Ok, so if you didn't kill Nellie, then where is she?"

Ani gestured to farther into the cave. "The kitchen."

Marlina tried to storm off while still looking badass.

She failed miserably and nearly fell over.

Luckily, she nearly fell over in the direction of the kitchen, so Nellie was able to catch her.

"Where ya going, Line?" Nelle said cheerfully.

"To see you. I have our dinner." Marlina said, holding up the squawking bird.

Nellie frowned, her reddish pink hair swaying as she grabbed the chicken.

"Look, I love chicken just as much as the next gal, but couldn't you have gotten it some legal way?"

Marlina smiled. "Nellie, when you have murderer in the living room, there's no such thing as the 'legal way.'"

Nellie raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Line, there is. It's called trade. Or perhaps the ever-elusive 'grow it yourself' method I hear so much about?"

Marlina's short brown hair bounced in frustration. "Look, when I try to say something cool, ALL LOGIC IS OUT OF THE CONVERSATION!"

Nellie laughed, her purple eyes sparkling. "Logic? I have purple eyes and pink hair. Don't talk to me about logic!"

"Well, all us normal folks don't want it overshadowing our badassery, so shut it."

Nellie kept laughing.

God Damn it, Nellie.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Minecraft.**

It was raining again.

Or, more accurately, it had never stopped raining.

While rain itself was not that unusual, two straight days of it was beginning to worry the townsfolk. The villagers made indecipherable noises of worry, and the players whispered of witches amongst themselves.

All looked with dread to the dark skies.

Meanwhile, in a wooden shelter that recently transferred ownership...

Marlina sat in the newly liberated chair of a newly liberated household. From her experience, which unfortunately was limited to that of a farm-girl, _liberated_ meant _taken_. But all else aside, she too was worrying about the ominous weather. All the residents of the cabin were, aside from Ani, who was whistling in the shower.

The tune vaguely reminded Marlina of something, but for the life of her she couldn't remember what.

Nellie busied herself in the clean smelling kitchen, and the aroma of cookies wafted from the adjoining room. The ingredients were home grown, of course. Marlina couldn't ignore her farm-girl roots, and set up a garden more likened to that of a farmers, a quarter of an acre wide. It was a miracle the villagers, or one of the players on an adventure, hadn't noticed it yet.

Or maybe one had and Ani had... 'taken care of them.'

Marlina shuddered on principle.

Ani's whistling had escalated into full-blown singing, and Marlina recognized the tune. It had been one her grandfather had used to sing when drunk. Her Grandpapa had been a sailor once, and when he had consumed a copious amount of alchohol he always started singing.

Had Ani been a sailor once?

She would ask her once she got out of the shower.

Marlina twiddled her thumbs, the only one with nothing to do. Gardening in the rain is a pointless endeavor, and will only increase your frustration as you end up killing your innocent plants due to an inch of murky water.

Nellie brought the cookies out, whistling the same tune Ani was.

Marlina raised an eyebrow, her suspicion quickly overtaking.

It was possible that Ani was a sailor once, but Nellie?

You had to be tough to be a sailor, and Nellie was about as tough as a dandelion.

In a rainstorm.

She was vaguely reminiscent of a sweet puppy Marlina had once.

Marlina again glanced at the gray skies.

"I'm going out." She said, standing abruptly.

Nellie bit her lower lip but made no move to stop her.

The door opened, and all at once, both were bombarded by the heavy pounding of rain on the ground

Marlina slammed the door, and for the inhabitants of the cabin, the barrage of rain only became a soft pit-pat on the roof.

But for Marlina, going out into the weather, the noise grew no fainter, and whether by the worsening storm or some trick, the rain only grew louder as she walked farther from the cabin.

Eventually, she arrived at a mansion that, at another time, might have been rather grand, but in the current weather only was gloomy and ominous, looming over the girl.

Marlina knocked at the handsome oak doors, a sound that surely must have echoed loudly on the inside.

A figure of an unknown gender appeared at the door, dressed in elaborate purple robes. He...She...IT had a large wart on its nose, but otherwise it did not differ in appearance to a regular villager.

"Could you stop?" Marlina said, annoyed.

"Me?" The figure said, batting its eyelashes innocently.

Marlina pointed to the patch of clear blue sky above the mansion.

"Yeah. Not helping your case, WITCH." She said.

"Well, I'm sorry to say I can't stop it. Not until the requirements are fulfilled."

"Requirements?!"

"Of the curse, of course." The witch began closing the door.

Marlina stuck her foot in the door. "What curse?"

"I cursed one of the villagers, of course."

"Do you have to drag us into it?"

"The magics are a strange and nuanced art." The Witch said nervously.

"You just wanted to f*** with people, didn't you?" Marlina said dryly.

The Witch shrugged and smiled. "Caught me!"

"Well, stop it! I'll have you know-"

"You have a murderer in your house?"

Marlina blinked in shock. "How'd you know?"

"Magic. Duh!"

Marlina's face flushed. "Oh..yeah."

"And no, I can't stop it. I did curse one of the villagers."

"Well,-"

"Well go f*** yourself." The Witch snapped, slamming the door.

Marlina stood there before trudging home to give her cabin-mates the bad news.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Minecraft.

A/N: Okay guys, tommorow I'm gonna roll out TWO chapters, because I didn't write one yesterday! Or maybe I'll write another one today, IDK. But anyway, check out NellisEllis's story, Standing United.

The air smelled like rain. Not that this was unusual, considering it had been raining for thirteen days without the slightest pause. One has to wonder if it would only stop when Notch himself ran out of rain to pour from the heavens.

There was a blond player with violet eyes dragging a body wrapped in elaborate clothing to a hole in the ground, but that was not important.

There was a brunette with white eyes having a duel to the death with the almighty anti-Notch of Minecraft, Herobrine himself, but that was not important.

There was a woman with pink hair and purple eyes who was simultaneously baking cookies and kicking the ass of an especially pissed off villager, but that was not important.

There was even a blind woman, who had hair that is reddish-pink, purple, AND white, with dragon wings, who was playing Russian Roulette with an Enderdragon. This particular version of Russian Roulette was PvP, and involved shooting the OTHER person. They call this variation 'trying to kill eachother while poorly equipped with one bullet in your gun'.

But even this was not important, spectacular as it was. We have much more pressing matters on our hands then petty end of world scenarios, murder, and ass-kicking.

Baby Sheep missed his mother.

But what Baby Sheep didn't know is he is an orphan sheep. His mother, and his entire herd, where wiped out from a combination of drowning and being heartlessly slaughtered by cruel players.

But Baby Sheep has a new mother. Er...father. Um...parent?

The Enderman/woman/androgynous being was taking on the role of foster parent for the young sheep. It was nice.

Okay, let's get back to the boring battle-to-the-death stuff.

Where shall we go first?

Hmm..let's start with Anita Steelson, known as Ani,burying her body.

* * *

The air didn't stink yet, a blessing Ani welcomed. The dead body of the Witch was a nuisance, but Marlina insisted it be givin a burial, especially because the 'murder now had no purpose', which is what she complained. Apparently the her reason for commissioning her to kill the Witch was to stop the rain, and not Ani's simple and honest motivation of 'Well it's kinda fun.'

Ani grumbled as she shoved the Witch's body into the hole, trying to remember what Marlina had told her she needed to do after burying the Witch. Something about Necromancy...? She stepped back to admire her handiwork.

Unfortunatly, she only had a second before being blown back by a brilliant burst of light.

* * *

There was the smell of cookies in the air. This was attributed to the fact that Nellith Micronis was baking, yet again.

At least, we assume she was baking. Though she always procures cookies from her pockets and spends an awful amount of time in the kitchen, no one ever actually saw her bake.

No one alive, that is.

Well, with the exception of this poor villager getting his ass handed to him on a cookie tray.

Well, we have no doubt he will die at the hands of our favorite baker.

* * *

Meanwhile, a woman named Nova Caelum had run out of her only bullet. Luckily, the opposing Enderdragon had too, and Nova is fireproof and magic, so they mill around a bit before deciding to play some good old-fashioned Texas Hold 'Em.

* * *

A white eyed brunette by the name of Marlina McCarsane was having a sword fight with the the anti-Notch, otherwise known as Herobrine.

Marlina of course was getting pounded into the ground.

But how did she end up in a death-match with the king of the Nether?

Find out in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Minecraft.

A/N: I had a bit of writers block, and then I realized, well, if I'm doing two chapters and I only have one idea, then one chapter will be character profiles. I know I'm being cheap, but I'm updating pretty much daily, so cut me some slack, okay?

Anita Steelson:

Appearance—Blond hair with violet eyes. Is often seen in ridiculous clothing, not so much crazy in color so much as design, like a skin tight leather bodysuit. Or a catsuit. A f***ing catsuit!

Personality—Well, she is a murderer, but not sociopathic—indeed, she enjoys murder. She is strangely light hearted for a killer, and is extraordinarily optimistic. Would easily sit back eating cookies while watching the baker get slaughtered. But, strangely, the baker isn't who you think. You'll find out why it isn't Nellie in a bit..not this chapter though!

Parents— Mother: Jaria Steelson, a mysterious woman in the shadows. There are debates over whether Jaria is her real name. Father: Unknown. Several theories, most of which do not paint him in a good light.

Nellith Micronis:

Appearance— Purple eyes, and bubblegum pink hair. Not that they know what bubblegum is, of course. Often seen wearing an apron, but underneath is a strange (but pretty) combination of a dress and a dead animal. No one is quite sure what kind.

Personality— Warm, loving, (of course while still kicking ass) the only time she gets weird and scary is when she has too much sugar.

Parents— Mother: Elvana Micronis, much like Nellie, but noteably less of a BAMF. Father: Notamis Micronis, Smart, (though slightly clueless) man who alternates between happy and angry frequently.

Marlina McCarseane:

Appearance— Whiteish-silver eyes and brown hair. Wears a velvet dress that goes down to the ankles.

Personality— Fiercely Loyal, loves puppies and sweet children. Gets unnecessarily pissed off when things don't go her way. Finds it amusing intimidating a**holes.

Parents— Mother: Annie McCarseane. A lovely woman who, in her earlier days, was sought after by every man in the village. Nice, sweet, and makes good food. One of the reasons Marlina ran off with Ani, the name. The complete package. Father: Davar McCarseane. Lucky guy who won Annie's heart. Means well, but sometimes is a little clueless. Never seen without sunglasses.

A/N: Lucky for you, I'm listening to U2's album, Songs of Innocence. There will be another chapter shortly.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You ready for baddassery? I know you are. **

**You are my audience. I am the author.**

**So it is written.**

**So it is as I wrote it.**

_The pain was blinding. Marlina squeezed her eyes tightly shut, colors swimming into her line of vision even through the veil of darkness. She held back tears, an unnecesary feat of spite, a final act of defiance._

_A minute passed, then another, and another, and still the darkness never came. Her tense stance shifted, and a passerby might have seen her confusion if any such passerby existed. Her eyes opened to a decimated village, completely devoid of all life. The only movement was a plume of smoke rising from a pile of rubble where the village blacksmith once stood. Marlina hesitantly walked past her safe place, the ruins of the basement of the librarian. She searched for any survivors in her line of vision, but nothing stirred. There were only the charred remains of the townspeople, their once colorful clothing stained with the soot and ashes of their homes._

_There was something missing._

_Where were they? _

_They should be here._

_They came with her._

_Where were they?_

_"Ani!" She screamed. "Nell!"_

_There was no reply. Only silence._

_Dead silence._

_Marlina let out a cry of anguish._

_No amount of spite, defiance, no amount of dignity could stop her tears now._

Marlina sat up abruptly, her knees banging onto the underside of the table. She was sweating, a cold sweat that she had never had before. Her eyes were streaked with tears, and she looked in her mirror to be greeted by a red face. She sighed in relief, the paled.

In Mincraftia, no one had dreams. Not normal dreams.

They were always prophecies, memories, or happy as hell bulls**t.

It was really pretentious, actually.

But useful.

Who would have done this to that village? And why?

She focused on her dream.

_Some_

She tried to make out a face, clothing, anything

_men_

Anything to recognize the killer

_just_

to make him pay,

_want_

to save those people,

_to_

to save Nellie,

_watch_

to save Ani,

_the_

to save that village

_world_

because she couldn't see it

_burn_.

Burn like white.

White eyes.

White like the ashes on his funeral pyre.

If she decided he even deserved such a thing.

**A/N: Wow. I have a lot of inspiration. That was awesome.**


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Minecraft.

_Marlina's POV_

Marlina trudged through the jungle biome, her entire body soaked, her hair dripping wet. She fought the urge to stop and wring her clothes out. Once she got to the desert biome, her drenched outfit would be a blesssing.

She hacked at the vines, shouting obscenities that would make the surliest of sailors wince, obscenities for someone who very likely wasn't listening.

Though, with Herobrine, you never knew.

She paused for a moment, her eyes fixed on a pool of water. It was barely three blocks deep, but there was a squid bobbing in it, panicking at its lack of space.

Marlina always felt sorry for squids. They always looked so sad, with their solemn eyes turned up.

She laughed bitterly.

If this squid had been a wolf, a dog, an ocelot, players would flock to get one.

But it was a squid, and so universally hated.

She took one last glance at the pool, then strode away, slashing at the vines as if they had wronged her.

A squid's eyes were not the ones she was looking for.

_Nellie's POV_

Her mountain of cookies, uneaten and growing stale, was begining to unnerve the village's inhabitants. The baker was worried he would be put out of business, because...well...who can possibly compete with a scale model replica of Mount St. Helens made of cookies?

The baker's best friend, the butcher, tapped Nellie's shoulder.

"Hrrrmmm." He stated clearly, his eyes cold.

Nellie's eyes narrowed, and her mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Hmmmr?" The butcher asked.

Nellie slowly shook her head.

The butcher looked to the candlestick maker and the baker for help.

The baker pushed him, then retreated into the crowd.

Gulping nervously, the butcher stepped forward.

_Anita's POV_

Anita was carrying nothing but the butcher's knife, a lovely cleaver she had pickpocketed off him while he was talking to the shopkeeper about her interests.

She wore a full blown Victorian suit, and so many ruffles and ridges adorned her attire she could have passed for the snack aisle at a grocery store.

And that was why the Witch was at a loss as to why it was losing.

The girl had no magic. No weapons but a knife. No armor.

She did have skill, the Witch gave her that. She sliced and hacked without getting one drop of blood on her whimsical outfit.

But she shouldn't have been winning.

And yet she was.

Marlina's POV

Finally she arrived. She changed from her navy blue velvet outfit to a blood red silk dress and scarf.

She prided herself on her outfits.

Her glasses gleamed dully in the light that filtered through the trees, and the air smelled of decay. She heard no birds, no animals rustling through the leaves, and through the sickly smell of rotting leaves and flesh she smelled something burning.

Then, in the excruciating silence, there was a scattering of leaves behind her. She whirled around, her diamond sword at the ready, but she saw nothing.

"Ha...ha...haa."

The laugh was at the same time painfully slow and too fast for her comfort, like a poorly written novel.

She wished her vision was not limited so much.

Then, another sliding noise, of someone rushing through the leaves that carpeted the forest floor.

She turned just in time to stop the sword rushing toward her.

There was a clash as the blades met, and already it was a tremendous effort to stop the blade from reaching its target. Beads of sweat rolled down Marlina's face, just from the strain of stopping the weapon.

She ducked, and her opponent stumbled as he was caught momentarily off balance.

And then she saw him.

He looked like a player. An average one, too.

Until you saw his face.

His eyes were a blank white, devoid of all soul.

He was a man, but when you saw his eyes he was no longer a man.

He was a demon.

And Marlina, for once in her life, was really, truly, afraid.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own Minecraft.

Present Day

Marlina struggled to get up, and through a haze of pain she saw the empty face of Herobrine.

She opened her mouth, intending to scream, and then closed it, collapsing weakly on the ground.

She looked at the sky, though to look at it was not her own choice. She was not strong to look elsewhere.

Was it raining?

Moisture clouded the edges of her vision, framing her enemy in a veil of water, as if he were glowing.

But the sky was still a clear blue, the clear blue of the eyes of a child feigning innocence.

So where was the water coming from?

A tear rolled down her cheek, betraying the fear and pain she was feeling, the emotion, the realization, the very idea of finality.

The very idea of death.

"Ani...Nell.."

A call to friends she knew weren't there.

She closed her eyes and braced herself, determined not to make a sound when the life exited her body.

A last act of defiance.

Of independance.

Of freedom.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Mincraft.

A/N: So, it's 10:25 PM and I'm on a roll. Three chapters today, that's pretty good! Anyway, happy New Year.

_Anita's POV_

There was a strange feeling in the air, an uneasiness that mixed with the scent of freshly turned earth, making the space that surrounded her heavy with the smell of death.

A lack of sound, a warning to the danger that was almost upon her.

Her, or another.

Then a sound, a sound, though quiet, cut through the air as if by a knife.

"Ani...Nell..."

Was that...?

Marlina?

Anita stood frozen for a second, then raced off.

"Line!"

Silence. Nothing but silence.

"Liine!"

Ani suddenly knew why they used the word 'deafening' to describe silence.

She ran, in one hand her rusted, battered shovel, the other her meat cleaver, dripping with the blood of the recently resurrected Witch.

Or, more accuratly, the Witch who, as of now, had been killed twice in one day by a murderer in a Victorian cosplay.

Ani was graceful and elegant, intimidating even as she ran.

She shot a glare at some cute squirrels that had gathered around her.

Animals loved her.

Until she killed them, of course.


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own Minecraft.

A/N: So, I'm sorry for the shorter chapters I've been getting out, (and so infrequently too! Bad Canine! BAD!) but I'm going to make this one...a thousand words. You heard me right! A thousand! That's...I never do that! I'm learning Russian..just thought you should know.

* * *

Marlina:

Marlina breathed in shakily, then let the air out in a brazen act of pure and unadulterated spite, designed to cause as much inconveinance to her opponent as possible by not dying, or at least dying as slowly as possible. She heard a rustling in the trees—a sort of damp sliding among the fallen leaves, wet and slippery from the continuous downpour—and would have furrowed her brow in confusion had it been convenient.

To her great misfortune, it was not. Not at all.

Her hand scrabbled across the dirt, smearing the ground with her own blood as she fumbled weakly for her sword, anything to defend herself from the monster she was positive she heard. She felt sick as she thought of all the blood she was losing, and then, in an effort to stop her from throwing up the contents of her stomach, turned her head to her right where her opponent, the horrible monster in the guise of a man, Herobrine, stood, waiting for her to die.

'Kill me then!' She screamed mentally. 'Do it!'

But then she had a moment of clarity, quickly followed by confusion. If Herobrine was here, to her right, then...she turned her head to the left again with great difficulty (a motion which caused her stomach to rebel), panting heavily. She saw the glint of metal among the dark trees. Then, she saw the flash of a smile. She smiled back weakly to confirm she was alive and concious, even though the person in the forest would probably never see it, making it abosolutely pointless and causing her to slump down to the forest floor again, dizzy.

Ani's knife attacked Herobrine before Ani herself did. It came screaming through the air, lodging itself in his arm, before Ani sprinted across the forest. Herobrine's own blade had been knocked out of his hand by the force of the knife's impact, and it slid easily across the damp forest floor, coming to a stop in front of Marlina.

Marlina reached for it, to make sure he couldn't get it, she had it—

She gasped in pain and fear, releasing the handle of the blade at the rush of dark energy she felt rushing through it. The sword left a burn mark on her palm where she had touched it, but when she had grabbed the item it was cool as stone.

"Ani.." Marlina said to her friend, still in a sort of blood-loss induced daze. "Don't touch him."

Ani looked at her with one eyebrow raised, but avoided contact with her opponent anyway, somehow dodging both his kick and his punch without looking like a dying fish flopping around in a pathetic attempt at movement.

Herobrine, on the other hand, now was trying as hard as possible to get Ani, lashing out in various places. He gave her a solid whack in the head, but nothing very significant happened (not even the smallest of concussions- Herobrine must be very out of practice). Ani just looked really pissed and slightly confused. Now that she could apparently touch him, she was raining down her wrath upon him, blow upon blow upon blow, leaving quickly forming bruises.

Like any sane human(?) being, he ran, in his haste leaving the sword behind. Ani scooped it up before Marlina had time to warn her, but Ani showed no reaction, inspecting the sword closely and offering her free hand to to pick Marlina up.

"I-i don't get it..the sword, it.." Marlina mumbled.

Ani shrugged and pulled her up. "It seems fine to me."

She offered the sword, still shining, the diamond catching the meager light. Marlina reached for the handle, then hesitated. Finally, she grabbed on to the hilt of the blade, then cried out in pain when she felt darkness racing through the sword to her. She dropped the magic blade in shock.

Ani looked at her strangely, then reached cautiously for the sword, picking it up with ease. She swung it around clumsily, (her talents lay with another sort of blade—swords were never her style.) then shook her head and placed it neatly on the ground.

"Does it have a name?" Ani wondered out loud.

Marlina raised an eyebrow, curious. "A name?"

"Yeah, in stories swords always have names."

Marlina shivered, although even in the dark forest biome it was a good seventy degrees at the least. In fact, it was almost too hot, bordering on uncomfortable. She tugged on her red scarf, and then on instinct pulled it tighter as if the flimsy piece of cloth was able to protect her from anything that decided to attack. Just in case it was unclear, her scarf (besides always blowing in a nonexistent breeze) wasn't magical and wouldn't protect her, as evidenced by what an ass-kicking she got when tring to fight Herobrine.

"The name of the sword isn't to be spoken." She heard herself saying. Even just saying that, it she felt as if her mouth should be washed out with not soap, but bleach, or acid, but she didn't know why. She didn't even know the name and it was purely common sense (the same sense horror movie characters lack when they read the occult book out loud and proform the blood rituals for a Halloween prank or something equally stupid) that kept her from wanting to know.

Ani snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that doesn't sound ominous at all."

"Sorry."

"Yeah, whatever. Let's get home before those villagers begin to think their crops are safe." Ani said, smirking.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Yeah, I suck at updating. Anyway, Minecraft is not mine. Craft. Also, I'm sorry I haven't updated since forever. Most inspiring review goes to: anonymous reviewer Latimaa. Thanks—I'd almost forgotten about this story.

* * *

He was a creature of the night. Not a man, though some (an innocent few to be sure) believed him to be. But nor was he a beast, a mindless being that craved destruction. There was no word—or, at least, not in Minecraftian—that could describe what he was. But he was always there. Watching.

And so now he watched her. An insolent woman, and not having any particular strength of body. Perhaps of mind?

She carried the sword, wrapped in cloth, as if it would burn her. In fact, it would. His face almost moved into a smile.

But then the cloth slipped, and the gleaming diamond was brought into the light of day, and he _wanted_ that sword he wanted it so _much... _

Evidently, the girl thought the same thing, and her small, pale hand almost touched it-

Her friend, dressed in an apron, gently folded the cloth over the sword. He hissed. Damn that girl. May the Nether take her.

Then he really did smile, his face twisted into a sort of grimace. May the Nether take her.

Well, that was the plan.

* * *

Marlina was not having a good day.

How in all the fiery pits of the Nether had they run out of meat at the butcher's?! Oh, what, the butcher had been mortally wounded and needed time to recover?

The candlestick maker, who was filling in for the butcher, pushed her in the direction of the door.

"Hrrnnmmm." He grumbled.

Marlina stomped her foot on the ground. "Yeah?! Well you can kiss my a—"

The door slammed shut.

Across the street, the baker gave a disapproving "Hmmmrnn."

"WELL AT LEAST I CAN FORM COHERENT SENTENCES YOU SON OF A—"

The priest gave an exaggerated cough from further down the street.

Grumbling, Marlina walked out of the village.


End file.
